New York Launches Metocean Surveys

Laxman PaiFebruary 3, 2019

Image: Ocean Tech Services

The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) unveiled two contracts with Ocean Tech Services and DNV GL for using floating lidar technology to study the metocean conditions off New York’s coast.

The meteorological and metocean survey work off the coast of New York are being carried out as part of the US state's offshore wind plans.

Executing this multi-year project advances and supports Governor Cuomo’s Green New Deal, a nation-leading clean energy and jobs agenda that puts New York on a path to carbon neutrality through a globally unprecedented ramp-up of renewable energy including an increase of New York’s offshore wind target to 9,000 megawatts by 2035, up from 2,400 megawatts by 2030.

Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA said, "As New York works to become a national hub for offshore wind, access to better metocean and environmental data will further advance offshore wind projects in the most informed and responsible manner possible. Deploying this data collection technology will help protect the state’s coastal resources and marine environment and is a significant step towards meeting Governor Cuomo’s offshore wind and clean energy goals.”

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “This important initiative will provide essential information to better understand New York’s offshore resources and strategically tailor efforts to protect our economically important marine ecosystem. Offshore wind energy has the potential to provide our communities with a major source of clean and affordable electricity, supporting Governor Cuomo’s nation-leading efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change, and the data generated from this study will help ensure we responsibly develop this important resource."

Both companies will support the deployment of two floating LiDAR systems more than 20 miles off the Atlantic coast for a period of two years. The target date for deployment of both systems is May 2019 to begin collecting wind speed and direction within anticipated rotor swept zones, wave and current measurements, as well as other environmental data.